The Path Unwinding
by Fireowlies
Summary: Just when it seems that Pride Rock has finally found some peace, two lions make their return, and many questions arise. Now Kiara has to find all the answers to those questions, and piece together bits of the past so that she can prepare for her future.
1. Prologue

_Prologue_

The lioness smiled as she and her younger companion came up over the rise and had their first distant look at Pride Rock in years. It was remarkable how relieved she felt, knowing that she was here.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" murmured the younger lion, who was staring around in awe.

"Yes," said the lioness. "Are you ready?"

He sighed. "I suppose. It's going to be… strange. I wonder what's been going on since we left."

The lioness shook her head. "We'll know soon enough." She glanced at the sun, which was making its steady descent toward the horizon; it was blazing scarlet and gold. "Come on, we can at least make it to the water hole before we lose the light. We can rest there, and wait until someone notices us.""Why do we have to wait?""I don't think we should barge in. It's already getting late, we can make a proper appearance tomorrow morning. You've waited this long, what's a few more hours?"The lion shrugged and tossed his mane out of his eyes. "Whatever you say. You've never given me bad advice."She chuckled. "Come on, then."

They moved forward through the long grass, their tails swishing rhythmically from side to side; they didn't stop again until the sun was lost to view beneath the horizon, and darkness had descended fully over the Pridelands.


	2. Kiara's Lookout

_Chapter One: Kiara's Lookout_

As Kiara walked up onto the summit of Pride Rock, the day's first warm rays of sun warmed her fur and energized her. She watched the light spread across her father's land, and was pleased to have such a wonderful vantage point.

The early morning stillness of the Pridelands had become very familiar to Kiara over the past few months. Since Zazu's retirement, the lions had been in need of a more aerial view to watch for danger, and the best they could do was keep watch from the highest point of Pride Rock. Simba had suggested Vitani would be good for the task, but Kiara had stepped in, wanting a more practical role in protecting her family. She hoped it would help the others to take her a bit more seriously.

Timon had rolled his eyes and told her that being a lookout wasn't all it was cracked up to be. Kiara didn't care, though. She needed something useful to do, and as she was absolutely awful at hunting, this was as helpful as she was likely to get.

It was an easy enough task. She could watch the herds move from one place to another as the days went by, and bask in the beauty of the sunrise each morning. Sometimes Kovu would join her, and for hours and hours they would just talk and laugh about anything at all. It was a very peaceful time, and it didn't take long for Kiara to grow to love her duty.

This particular morning was like any other. The rest of her pride was sleeping below her in the coolness of the cave. There was nothing interesting going on that Kiara could see from her position. She settled down and decided she could afford to take a nap, since there was nothing to watch for at the moment.

She blinked. Or was there?

As far as she knew, all of the other Pride Rock lions were still sleeping, and she would have seen it if anyone had left the cave since moonset. So why was there a lion and a lioness lounging about near the water hole?Her eyes narrowed. Of course she couldn't make out any distinguishing features on either of the intruders. Her first instinct was to alert her father and send out a group of lionesses to meet them, and find out what they wanted. With any luck, they would just be a couple of rogues passing through. But Kiara wasn't so foolish as to assume that they meant no harm.

She had to do something.

She bounded down the steep path that curved down in the direction of the pride's cave. She had never been the most graceful lioness in the best of times, and once she lost her footing and smacked her jaw flat on the rocky surface, but she kept going as if nothing had happened. By the time she had reached the mouth of the cave, she could see that some early risers, including her mother, were already yawning and stretching. "Kiara?" said Nala. She must have seen the look on her daughter's face, because her voice took on a worried tone. "What's wrong?"

"Two strangers," Kiara said, panting and ignoring the throbbing pain in her jaw. "Near the water hole."

"Calm down," said Nala evenly. "It's probably nothing. Go wake up Kovu and Vitani. I'll get your father up and we'll all go down and meet them."

Kiara nodded.

Kovu slept off in a corner of the cave, far back in the shadows. Kiara didn't know why he had formed this habit, but Vitani had mentioned something about staying inconspicuous while sleeping. Vitani herself was sprawled out over two other former Outlanders, still deeply asleep.

"Vitani," said Kiara, nudging the tawny lioness with one paw. "Vitani! Wake up!"

A deep growl resonated in Vitani's throat and she opened one blue eye. "This had better be very important," she said grumpily.

"It is," said Kiara. "There's two intruders down on the Savannah and my mother told me to gather you and Kovu for a welcoming committee." She grinned. "I would have thought you'd be dying for a little action. But obviously, you'd rather sleep the day away…"

"No," sighed Vitani. "I'm up. Although I doubt this is as interesting as you think, _Princess_." Kiara winced; Vitani (and Kovu) only ever used the title "princess" in a mocking tone, and it often succeeded in making Kiara feel like a tiny cub.

"We'll see," said Kiara, grinding her teeth together in irritation. Vitani shrugged and stalked off toward Nala, who had succeeded in waking Simba and was waiting just outside the cave.

Kiara moved off in the direction of Kovu, who was curled up in a ball. Kiara thought he looked very young when he did this, and in the shadows his sharp features were softened so that he looked innocent and peaceful. She hated to wake him, but she supposed there was nothing for it.

She nuzzled his nose lightly with her own, and was delighted to hear a short burst of purring start up in his chest. He opened his eyes and looked at her. If he was surprised by this wake up call, he didn't show it. "Hi, beautiful," he said, which was decidedly a better greeting than Vitani's.

"Hi," said Kiara, smiling. "Time to get up. We've got places to go, lions to meet."

"What do you mean?" asked Kovu, puzzled.

"You'll see," she said. "It's nothing major. Probably. Just… I saw something outside that I thought needed to be looked into. Come with me?"

"Sure."

They headed outside together. Simba was craning to get a view of the newcomers, but it wasn't the best vantage point. He had an odd, closed look on his face. Kiara thought he looked expectant, somehow. "Do you think they're dangerous?" asked Nala.

"I have a feeling they aren't," said Simba quietly.

The five of them made their way down onto the grasslands. It was only a short walk to the water hole, but Simba seemed eager to reach it. Vitani lagged behind, obviously not taking any of this seriously and still a little grouchy from being woken up early.

"She'll get over it," said Kovu vaguely, when Kiara looked over her shoulder for the fifth time. "She's not so good with mornings."

Kiara wasn't convinced, but she nodded and turned her attention to Simba, who had slowed down considerably. They were within sight of the water hole, and Kiara could see a hint of motion nearby, but the figures were cloaked in the shade of a stooped acacia tree. Simba glanced back, and hissed, "You all stay here. If I need you, I'll call you."

He walked off, and Nala turned back to the three younger lions. "He'll be all right. Kiara, could you make out any features on them?"

"No," said Kiara. "All I could tell was that one was a male and the other was a female. The male…" she cast about for the right words. "I almost thought he must be Daddy at first. But it's such a long distance, they were barely more than dots."

Nala nodded, but some suspicion seemed to have been confirmed by Kiara's testimony. She fell silent, and watched the spot where Simba had disappeared into the shadows. Moments passed. Vitani rolled over onto her side and yawned. Kovu sat down and swung his tail about aggravatedly; he wasn't a patient lion. Nala took a few steps forward, poised to spring if she was needed. Kiara stood still, waiting… waiting…

Finally --

"Hey!" came Simba's voice. "It's okay! Nala, you'd better come over here and give these two a proper welcome!"


	3. Homecoming

_Chapter Two:__ Homecoming_

Kiara didn't recognize the two lions standing in front of her, so she hung back awkwardly with Kovu and Vitani. One was a big lion with the same gold pelt as Simba, but with a slightly fairer mane; he seemed a little discomfited, but the look on his face was cheerful enough. Next to him was a lovely older lioness, with regal features and a heavy, muscular build.

Nala blinked at them, then rushed forward, a look of utter happiness on her face. She approached the male lion first, tentatively, as if she didn't believe he was really here. He smiled at her, then said very quietly, so that Kiara almost didn't catch it, "Mother?"

Kovu gasped. Kiara felt as if her heart had just crashed into her ribs. She frowned, then took a step forward, eager to hear more. Surely this lion was mistaken? "Yes," said Nala, to Kiara's utter shock. "I -- I can't believe you're here, Kopa."

"I'd almost forgotten what you looked like," the lion said quietly. "I'm -- I've missed you." Kiara, too mystified to continue following this conversation, looked at her father, who was nuzzling the regal looking lioness. She whispered something to him, to which he nodded.

"What's going on?" asked Vitani loudly.

Simba, Nala, and the two newcomers looked at her. Nala looked like she wanted to tell Vitani off for being rude, but she said nothing. Kiara was secretly very appreciative of Vitani's outburst.

"This is my mother," said Simba, indicating the new lioness. "Sarabi."

Kiara felt her eyes go wide. Then she uttered a soft "wow." Kiara had heard a lot about Sarabi, the strong queen who had seen the pride through Scar's reign. Kiara had never known what had happened to her grandmother, because her parents rarely mentioned her. She had just assumed that the real story was too painful and sad for them to relive.

Sarabi was looking at Vitani with deep mistrust.

"_What_?" Vitani asked her confrontationally. Kiara rolled her eyes. She knew the aggression was just for show, and that Vitani was actually probably as baffled as she was.

"You look… like someone I used to know," said Sarabi dismissively. She glanced at Simba.

"You mean Zira?" he said.

Sarabi's expression was stony; she nodded stiffly. Her gaze traveled over to Kiara, who gave a small, nervous smile. Sarabi nearly returned it, but then her eyes fell on Kovu, and her eyes widened with disbelief.

Kiara stepped closer to Kovu, who looked like he thought he knew what was going through Sarabi's mind.

"Who is he?" asked Sarabi, jerking her head in Kovu's direction.

"That's Kovu," said Nala calmly. "He's… well, he's…"

"I'm Zira's _son_," said Kovu, straightening. "And Scar's adopted heir. They raised me, but I'm not... I mean, _we're_ not..."

"Zira died," said Simba, who appeared calm, but was nevertheless looking at Sarabi a little nervously. "The rest of her pride has joined ours. Vitani and Kovu are siblings, but they were, shall we say, a bit of a disappointment to their mother."

Sarabi seemed to relax slightly. "I see," she said. "It's just… I've got some bad memories involving your parents." She spoke directly to Kovu and Vitani.

"Scar wasn't our father," said Vitani. "Though our mother usually pretended that he was. We used to agree with her, but Simba and Kiara convinced us we were wrong... You don't need to look so suspicious," she added petulantly.

Kiara smiled. For the first time, Sarabi looked at her with some real interest. Her expression softened. "And dare I ask whose child _you_ are?" she said.

"That would be us," said Simba, indicating himself and Nala.

"Sarabi," said Nala, "meet your granddaughter, Kiara."

Sarabi smiled. Behind her, Kiara saw the other male angle his head slightly, looking puzzled. Sarabi moved forward to nuzzle Kiara, and said, "How beautiful you are. This must all be quite a lot for you to take in."

"Yes," said Kiara, raising her voice and looking pointedly at her parents, who both chuckled.

Sarabi nodded. "Kopa," she said, turning to glance over her shoulder, "come here."

Kopa's small smile returned as he moved up to stand by Sarabi's side. "Yes, Grandmother?"

"It seems you've got a little sister," said Sarabi. "It's a pleasant surprise, isn't it? Why don't you say hello."

Kiara and Kopa stared at each other, neither knowing quite what to say. Kopa looked at Nala and Simba, then sighed. "Hi," he said uncertainly.

"Hi," said Kiara. "I didn't know --"

"I'm confused," interrupted Vitani. "So suddenly Simba's got another kid that none of us knew about? How'd that happen?"

But Kovu shook his head. "Vitani, don't you remember? Mother _did_ mention another cub. She said he was killed, but she didn't know how. She said she regretted that she couldn't kill him personally."

"Yeah," said Kopa quietly. "That was me."

"So… you aren't dead?" said Vitani.

"I don't think so," said Kopa.

"It's a long story," said Sarabi. She looked tired and even a little ill now that the greetings were over. She seemed to wilt before Kiara's eyes, and she wasn't the only one to notice. Nala took a step toward her, gave her a hard, appraising look, then said,

"It's time for you two to rest. Kopa, how long have you been traveling?"

"At least four days straight. Grandmother said we needed to get the journey over with; she said if we stopped, she -- she might never start again."

A worried look flashed across Simba's face, but he said nothing else.

They all went back to Pride Rock. Kiara, Kovu, and Vitani all refrained from asking any more questions, as it was painfully clear how exhausted Kopa and Sarabi were. Kopa's eyes were drooping slightly and he moved in a slow, automatic sort of manner. Once back home, the rest of the pride was instructed by Simba not to disturb the two newcomers, though one lioness simply couldn't conceal her joy when she set eyes upon Sarabi.

Sarafina shrieked with joy at the sight of her and traipsed over. Sarabi looked equally glad to see her old friend. Nala and Simba exchanged knowing glances as Sarabi and Sarafina padded off to a secluded corner to sleep. Kopa, who didn't seem to know where he should go, simply stood awkwardly next to his parents.

Kiara sighed. She didn't know how to feel about suddenly discovering that she was not the only heir to her father's throne. She had been brought up as the future queen of the Pridelands, though she'd never thought much of having so much responsibility thrust on her shoulders. Now that Kopa was here, would she be able to step down and let him take the reign of the kingdom? After all that she'd been through in her life so far, would she even _want_ to step down?

It took several moments for Kiara to notice Kovu staring at her. He grinned and came to rest by her side. "Wild, isn't it?" he said.

"It's been quite a day so far," she replied. "I mean… I never knew much about my grandmother, Sarabi. My father never seemed to like to talk about where she went, and my mother followed his lead. But now some things are starting to make sense… but I still have about a million questions to ask them all."

"Yeah," said Kovu simply. "Yeah, it's weird to think they were hiding so much."

"The weird thing is, I'm not mad about them keeping things from me," said Kiara. "I don't think they even knew if Kopa would ever come back, but they also couldn't tell me about him in case Zira took an interest in me and I let something slip, because I was only --"

"--Only a child, right," finished Kovu shrewdly. Kiara had to hand it to him; he was certainly being very supportive.

"It's just…" Kiara cast around for the right word to describe the morning, but came up short.

"_Wild_," said Kovu again.

"Yeah."

A/N: More to come, guys! And thanks to witchywomanpicz and Airezi for reviewing! Reviews make my day :)


	4. Burning Questions

_Chapter Three: Burning Questions_

By dawn the next day, Kiara was aching to speak to her parents, but they kept brushing off her questions, whispering "_Later_!" every time she tried to engage them.

She went up to the summit for her lookout, but as usual, nothing exciting was going on down on the grasslands, especially compared to the situation in the cave down below. So many things had happened in the span of a day, and she couldn't keep from dwelling on all the new revelations. She had a brother! And her grandmother… she really wanted to learn more about them both...

Sarabi and Kopa had slept like the dead for hours, and as far as Kiara knew, they were still resting. She couldn't blame them for her own impatience, but it was downright annoying that they were sleeping when she had so many questions she was bursting to ask.

Kovu joined her for the last part of her watch and made a few jokes to cheer her up, though Kiara noticed that he seemed a little down. She smiled at him, glad for his presence. They went back down to the cave around midday, and Kiara was pleased to see that Kopa, at least, seemed wide awake. Sarabi was awake too, though she was still lying comfortably in the shadows with Sarafina, and the two were talking quietly. Kiara wondered if they had talked about her at all.

"Kiara," said Kopa, stepping tentatively near her. "I -- uh… Would you like to walk down to the water hole with me and get a drink?"

Beside her, Kovu made an odd noise, but thankfully he backed away, realizing Kopa's desire to speak to his sister alone. Kiara nodded to Kopa, and the two walked out of the cave together.

"I didn't know I had a sister," said Kopa as soon as they were out of earshot of the cave. "But I'm really glad to meet you. I hope, once everything starts to go back to normal for you, that we can be… okay."

Kiara found herself watching the path in front of her feet, and she forced herself to look at her brother. Her _brother_. Boy, that was weird.

"I like to think I'm pretty easy to get along with," said Kiara brightly. "I didn't know about you either. Mom and Daddy… I guess they didn't think I needed to know."

"What I don't get," said Kopa quietly, "is why they went through so much trouble to smuggle me away from Zira, and then they went and had you. I don't mean you any disrespect," he added hastily, "but it just seems like if they felt things were safe enough for you to grow up here… then why not me?"

"Well…" said Kiara slowly, "I think Zira went really quiet for a few years. Even though the Outlands are actually pretty close to Pride Rock, she just always _seemed_ so far away. She wasn't making a move to try and attack our pride members, and she stopped threatening us. The most she ever did was occasionally hunt on our lands, and Daddy almost always overlooked that, because he knew how bad it was in the Outlands."

"So they felt safe enough to have another cub?"

"I have no idea. We should ask them. But my guess is that they didn't know what happened to you after you left. They needed a new heir, in case you didn't come back." Once again, Kiara found it a little odd that she was finding it so easy to defend her parents' decisions.

"I guess that makes sense," said Kopa. They had arrived at the water hole by this point. Kiara bent over to take a drink, thinking over their conversation. Yes, her parents must have thought they were acting for the best. There was even a chance that they had been advised by Rafiki to do the things they did, though it was often hard to follow any of the activities of the eccentric old mandrill.

Despite all the thoughts whirring through her mind, Kiara found that it was quite pleasant, spending time with Kopa, and after a short while the last of the awkwardness had faded away. Kopa wasn't talkative, but he listened attentively to everything Kiara said. She told him about Kovu, and how he had been trained to kill Simba all his life, but had rejected his mother's plans after spending time with Kiara. She told him how Zira had died.

"And you couldn't save her?" whispered Kopa at the end of the story. "After all that?"

Kiara shook her head wearily. "I think I might've seen a hint of regret in her face right before she… fell… but I still don't think she would have taken my help. She wouldn't be able to live with herself, owing a debt to the daughter of the lion who killed her beloved Scar."

"She was twisted, all right." Kopa watched a zebra foal walking along with its mother on the far end of the water hole, a thoughtful look on his face. "Kovu and Vitani don't seem at all like her. A little rough around the edges, maybe, but… I like them."

"Me too," said Kiara, smiling. "I don't know why, but they just don't have that hateful streak that their mother had." Kiara rose to her feet and stretched. "We should head back," she said.

"Yeah, Vitani said something about a hunt earlier," said Kopa. "Do you…?"

"Hunt? Me? Nah." Kiara was slightly surprised that she felt embarrassed. "I'm horrible. I've messed up more hunts than I can count. How about you?"

"Oh, Grandmother taught me quite a lot. She was an accomplished hunter."

"So's Mom," said Kiara. "She leads the hunt, and lately Vitani's been her second in comand. Vitani's a natural."

"Somehow I'm not surprised."

They chatted amiably on their way back to Pride Rock. When they got there, Vitani and Kovu were waiting for them. Most of the pride had scattered by now and were lounging on sunny parts of the hillside, grooming or gossiping, or both. Nala, Sarafina, and Sarabi had settled down in a grassy spot, and were laughing about something. Simba was nowhere to be seen.

"Hi, Mom," said Kiara as she approached her mother and two grandmothers.

"Kiara," said Nala, getting to her feet. "Kopa --" She nudged his head fondly with her own.

"What were you ladies talking about?" asked Kiara sweetly.

"Oh, nothing," said Sarafina, carefully averting her gaze.

"Vitani said something about a hunt?" said Kiara, choosing (wisely) to ignore her urge to pry about the conversation.

"Yes, but we wanted to wait and see if you'd join us," said Nala. "Sarabi says Kopa's a fine hunter, and Kiara, you're --"

"_Hopeless_," said Kiara, staring at the ground.

"Ridiculous," said Sarabi. "You're _my_ granddaughter."

"And mine," said Sarafina, grinning. "You're not quite as bad as you think, Kiara."

"You may not be a natural, but I can help you learn," said Sarabi. "You need confidence. I'll teach you. You'll be more than capable in no time."

"I don't know…" said Kiara, feeling as though she'd been put on the spot, which she thought was unfair. "I think I'm a lost cause."

"No, you aren't," said Nala supportively. "I should have made you come with me more often on hunts."

"Why didn't you?" piped up Kopa.

"We didn't like to let her get too far away from Pride Rock," said Nala quietly. "I didn't want her to wander away while I was too busy with a chase."

"Oh."

There was an awkward silence. Kiara was sure that if she went on a hunt, she would somehow cause it to end in disaster. On the other hand, she did feel rather guilty and useless every time she ate food that had been brought down by someone else.

"Maybe I… Maybe I _should_ go," said Kiara hesitantly. She expected them to withdraw their invitation for her to join them at any second. "If I mess one up, I'll just come home, I guess."

"You won't mess up," said Sarabi, with confidence. "I'll stay with you. We'll work it out." She looked over at Kopa, who seemed to have been distracted by something far off.

"Kopa?"

He cleared his throat and looked around. "Yes, Grandmother?"

"Would you care to join us?"

Kopa looked around. "Er… well…"

Kiara thought she knew why Kopa was hesitating. Now that Kopa was part of such a large group of lionesses, he probably didn't know if he was really needed for the hunt. He looked to Sarabi for help.

"You only have to come if you want to," said Sarabi lightly. "You can laze around with Simba if you want."

"Where is Daddy?" asked Kiara, looking around.

"Oh, Timon and Pumbaa are around here," said Nala. "He's with them. I don't know where they wandered off to…"

In the end, Nala and Vitani led Sarabi, Kiara, and three other lionesses out into the Pridelands. Sarabi stuck close to Kiara, giving her pointers the whole time. Kiara deeply appreciated having Sarabi's help, especially since Sarabi was, in her own words, "an old pro."

They managed to sneak up on a herd of gazelle. Nala and Vitani moved to the far side of them, meaning to ambush them and drive them toward the rest of the party. Kiara waited near Sarabi, her heart beating rapidly.

"Now, Kiara," said Sarabi soothingly, "you don't need to worry. They won't hurt you, these are easy. They're just very fast. Just do as I say, okay?"

Kiara swallowed, trying to hold back her fear. She nodded at Sarabi.

Just then, Nala appeared up on a distant knoll, just slightly above the milling herd. She was practically crawling, and she was going at a very slow pace. Vitani was no where in sight.

Then there came a high-pitched grunt from somewhere within the group of gazelle. The lionesses had been spotted. There was a commotion, and then, without warning, the herd began to move.

And they were heading straight for Kiara.


	5. Takedown

_Chapter Four: Takedown_

As one, the gazelle stampeded toward Kiara, who suddenly felt very small and weak. How on earth was she supposed to pick out a gazelle that she would be suited to take down? Their hooves hit the ground hard and fast, and Kiara swore she felt the ground shake beneath her paws.

Her first instinct was to duck, to take cover, to flee. Get anywhere safe, get as far away from this place as possible. She was going to be stomped, trampled…

But nearby, Sarabi had waded rapidly into the fray, and had leapt onto a sizable male gazelle, who was trying to buck her away, trying to keep her teeth from reaching his neck. Sarabi snarled and lunged, and as the gazelle went down Kiara suddenly knew what she had to do. She just had to follow Sarabi's example.

There was one coming right at her, slightly larger than the one Sarabi had just dispatched. Kiara jumped at it, but it head-butted her right in the chest, and Kiara was flung to the ground, the wind knocked out of her. In a flash Kiara was back on her feet, ignoring the pain, trying desperately to grasp one of the gazelle. Finally, both paws made contact with something, and she hung on for dear life. Her back paws were skidding along the ground, slowing the animal down, and all Kiara had to do was bite, and bite hard, on exactly the right spot.

Her jaws, as if of their own accord, sought the gazelle's throat. She stretched her neck out, oblivious of the gazelle's fearful cries. And then, quite suddenly, it was all over. The gazelle stumbled, then fell, but Kiara held on stubbornly. She tumbled to the ground and, after she was sure it was safe to do so, opened her mouth, letting the lifeless prey go. She looked around.

In the time it took to bring down her prey, the rest of the herd had run for its life, and were well away from the lionesses. Kiara, panting, looked over at Sarabi, who was lying near her catch. Beyond her, one other lioness had been successful, though her gazelle was very small. Kiara saw Vitani dragging another young one.

"Congratulations." said Sarabi, looking at Kiara's gazelle. "I knew you'd be all right."

"Kiara!" Looking around, Kiara saw Nala running toward her. "You did it!"

Kiara couldn't help but grin at how proud her mother seemed to be. She really had done it, hadn't she? Her first kill… She was surprised that it had been so easy. Or was it just a fluke?

But everyone was coming toward her, offering congratulations. Kiara finally had to accept that she really had done a good job. Even Vitani gave her credit, which Kiara thought was very gracious of her.

"It's such a rush, isn't it?" said Vitani.

"Oh yeah," said Kiara emphatically.

Nala, who had also caught a good size female gazelle, told everyone that this was sure to be enough for today. She grabbed up her kill and began to drag it toward home, and Kiara followed her example. She was helped by one of the lionesses who hadn't managed to make a catch, and it was a fairly easy journey back to Pride Rock.

That night, there was a general cheerfulness among the pride members. It was the kind of contentment only a full stomach ever seems to bring, and Kiara received a good deal of praise for her first kill, making her especially happy. She and Kovu snuggled together and made jokes, but Kiara did not fail to notice Sarabi watching them all the while, looking confused.

After a while, Kiara got up and stretched, then moved over to where Sarabi was sitting. "Hello," said Sarabi pleasantly.

"Hi," said Kiara. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm pretty tired, but I've felt worse." Sarabi yawned, to mark her exhaustion. "You and Kovu seem very close," she said, after a short silence.

"We are," said Kiara. "He's been good to me."

"Yes," said Sarabi. "Simba told me that he trusts Kovu."

Kiara shrugged. "I think _I_ always trusted him," she said slowly. "He was raised an Outlander, but it didn't take very long for him to come around. He was never a cold-hearted killer, not really. All he needed was a chance."

"I suppose he'll be king if you take the throne," said Sarabi heavily.

"Well… yeah, I guess. But now that Kopa's here… won't he be king, since he's the eldest?"

Kiara was frowning, but she was sure that Sarabi seemed to brighten at this theory. She knew that after being subjected to Scar and Zira's rule for years and years, it was understandable that Sarabi still mistrusted Kovu and Vitani, and the other Outlanders. Kiara didn't like it, but it only strengthened her resolve to prove to Sarabi how trustworthy they really were. She said nothing more, and moved over to where Vitani was sitting, talking to Kopa.

"It's really great hunting land," Vitani was saying. "When I joined this pride, I was amazed by how much more I got to eat."

"Yeah," said Kiara, laughing a little as she joined them, "You were skin and bones, back then."

"Was I?" said Vitani, looking around to try and judge for herself. "Well…yeah, I guess I was a little scrawny…"

Kopa laughed. "I was scrawny when I was a little younger too. But I like to think I've filled out pretty well."

Vitani nodded vigorously in agreement. Kiara giggled as she got to her feet and moved back to Kovu, who was busy grooming his paws. He looked up and smiled at her. "You look beat," he said with a chuckle.

"Oh I am," said Kiara as she fitted herself neatly against Kovu's side. "_And_ I think I ate too much…"

Kovu grinned at her. "Yeah, you do look kind of huge --"

"Hey!"

"I'm just kidding… Kidding! Jeez, ow, that was my nose…" He rubbed his snout and turned away from her in mock indignation. "You don't have to be all _serious_," he said, but he was laughing.

"Sorry," said Kiara, rolling her eyes at him. "But seriously, I just feel so lazy at the moment…"

"You're entitled to a little laziness. The last couple of days have been crazy! And you'll need to rest up if you're going to be a regular member of the hunting party."

"Oh, I don't know if I'll be hunting _too_ much," said Kiara. "I mean, I think I still prefer being the lookout. But it is very liberating to know that I can do it, if I want to."

"_I_ always knew you could," Kovu purred.

"Yeah, you were just a bad teacher," she teased, remembering his attempts to help her hunt back when he first joined the pride. Even though she knew he had still been Zira's pawn at that point, she didn't doubt that his efforts to help her had been genuine.

Kovu pretended to sulk for a moment, but then leaned back against her. "I love you," he said softly.

"I love you," said Kiara, closing her eyes.


	6. Thirsty

_Chapter Five: Thirsty _

As usual, the next morning Kiara was the first to awaken. Several months of lookout duty had changed her internal clock somewhat, and she almost never slept in anymore. Kovu was nestled snugly against her, and she hated to leave the warmth of his body. Slowly, carefully, she edged away from him and headed outside.

It was still quite dark out, and Kiara was thirsty, so she decided to head over to the water hole. She wouldn't be able to see much that was going on this early anyway. Anyway, it was often a good place to eavesdrop on the conversations of the other animals, and learn of anything unusual going on.

It was only when she stepped within sight of the water that she realized that, in fact, she hadn't been the first lion up today. Sarabi was sitting by the water, staring into its depths, captivated by something Kiara could not see. She looked very old, and there was a sadness about her that made Kiara shiver.

She didn't know how best to approach, so she just stood there and watched. After a moment, Sarabi sighed and seemed to come out of her reverie. She took a few cursory laps of water, then turned slowly around and started toward the place where Kiara crouched behind some scrawny shrubs.

Being very quiet and careful, Kiara backtracked a bit, then started forward again loudly, as if she had only just arrived on the scene. Sarabi smiled when she saw her, and asked what Kiara was doing up so early.

"I'm the lookout," said Kiara. "Since Zazu retired…"

"Yes," said Sarabi, "I was wondering where Zazu was, to be honest. Is he still…"

"He's still alive, yes," said Kiara, grinning. "He took a bit of a vacation. Said he needed a change of scenery. 'Out of Africa,' he said."

"That sounds about right," said Sarabi. "Did you want to get a drink?"

Kiara nodded, and Sarabi stepped aside. Kiara bent over and took a good long drink, and when she straightened up, she felt much better.

"So," said Kiara as she and Sarabi started back up to Pride Rock together, "where did you and Kopa go after you left?"

"Oh," sighed Sarabi, "we went to a nice valley where my mother used to live… It was deserted, but we managed. It wasn't easy, feeding myself and a young cub by myself, at my age, but once Kopa learned to hunt, we thrived."

"Why did you only decide to come back now?"

Sarabi didn't answer at first, and when she did, she didn't look at Kiara. "I'm tired. Too tired, and Kopa deserved the chance to come back and live the life he was meant to live… He felt like an exile, I know, though he would never admit it."

Kiara considered this. She imagined Sarabi and Kopa, huddled together in some unnamed wilderness, without the comfort and protection of a whole pride. It must have been depressing, at times, being so alone. The worst part must have been knowing that they had done nothing at all to deserve such a hard life.

"Poor Kopa," said Kiara softly.

"I don't know how ambitious he is," said Sarabi, "but if you still wanted to be queen, he would, of course, step down. You've been preparing to rule all your life, and... He hasn't. It's a very unusual situation."

Kiara didn't answer. It was true that she had always believed that she would one day be queen. She'd never thought much of the idea; she'd never looked forward to so much responsibility. She didn't feel like she would make a good leader. She had to admit, she was tempted to just let Kopa take the throne, as he was the eldest, and a male, besides.

But there was a very small part of her that wondered… She might make a good queen. She might even make a great queen. She'd helped the Outlanders, she'd convinced them to get out from under the shadow of Zira's twisted plot. She cared about the subjects of the kingdom, she wanted to do what was best for them.

Weren't those good qualities in a leader?

She brushed off the train of thought and sighed. She didn't have to decide now. Simba had been hinting that he might step down and let Kiara take over soon, but he wouldn't until she was sure she was ready. Simba had had responsibility thrust upon him before he was prepared to take it, and it had turned out well enough for him, but… Kiara wasn't he father, and she was exceptionally afraid of failure.

"Kiara?"

Kiara jumped and looked over at Sarabi, whose eyes were boring into Kiara's as though trying to read her thoughts. "Is there something on your mind?"

Kiara shrugged. "I was just thinking."

Sarabi nodded, and gave a swift smile. "You're not the first girl born to the throne, you know," she said.

"I'm not?" asked Kiara, startled.

"No, your great-grandmother Uru was the eldest of her litter, which all turned out to be girls. She went on to give birth to two boys; Mufasa and… Scar."

Kiara nodded. "_She_ was a good ruler, wasn't she?"

"Yes," said Sarabi, beaming reminiscently. "She was the one who took my mother and aunts in when we came through the kingdom, seeking aid. Uru was very compassionate. She was the one who suggested I one day marry Mufasa. I owe a lot to her."

"What about Ahadi?" asked Kiara. Ahadi had been Uru's chosen mate, and by all accounts had been a capable leader. "What was he like?"

"He was smart, and certainly loved Uru," said Sarabi. "But he was distant, and showed obvious favoritism when it came to Mufasa. We'll never know exactly why Scar turned out so badly, but I'm sure Ahadi's attitude toward him played a significant part."

"That's sad," said Kiara.

"It's still no excuse for all the trouble Scar caused," said Sarabi, bristling. "For all the lives he ruined…"

Kiara shook her head. "I didn't mean… I…"

"I know," said Sarabi, taking a deep breath. "I get angry at the very thought of Scar. That's why I'm so… distant… with Kovu and the rest of Zira's pride."

"It's not _Zira's_ pride," said Kiara, a little more sharply than she had intended. "They're part of _our_ pride now. None of them has given us any reason to stop trusting them -- not since Zira died."

"Okay," said Sarabi. "I know you believe in them. I suppose that should be good enough for me. It's just… you have no idea how hard it is for me. Scar took so much from me, and even after he was gone, Zira kept on trying to spoil our lives. I regret that my hate didn't die with them."

Kiara nodded. She _did_ understand. She knew what Sarabi had been through, and knew it would take a long time for her to make peace with the past. She remembered how prejudiced Simba had been, and wondered if it would be the same thing all over again. "They won't give you any reason to hate them," she said finally. "You'll see… they're really not that different from us."

"I hope you're right," said Sarabi. They had reached Pride Rock, and she began to ascend ahead of Kiara. "I would love to be proved wrong, Kiara."

Kiara gave a small smile, and began to climb too.

"How did you come to have such a big heart?" asked Sarabi, before she turned to go into the cave, where most of the pride was still sleeping.

Kiara blinked, not sure how to answer. "I just… I just trust."


	7. Interlude

_Chapter Six: Interlude_

Kovu sighed when he saw Kiara and Sarabi coming back. He'd been thinking a lot about Sarabi and Kopa, and their position in the pride now that they had returned. Kiara didn't seem very fazed about the situation, but then again, Kovu knew that she'd always been unsure about being the next queen. And Kiara's thoughts and emotions could sometimes be difficult to read; it was more than likely that she was thinking about the situation much more than she let on.

But Kovu had grown used to the idea that, as Kiara's mate, he would be the next king of the pride lands. If Kopa decided he deserved to be king, Kovu would be shunted aside, would be the lowest ranking male for the rest of his life here. He didn't know how he felt about that.

Annoyingly, an image of Scar kept coming into Kovu's mind. Scar had been in a lowly position too, and his jealousy had driven him mad. What if the same hatred sparked in Kovu's heart, making him forget everything important to him and become power-hungry?

But when these uneasy thoughts came to him, all he had to do was think of Kiara, who was so untainted by such malevolence. She would be his anchor, his strength. He would support her through anything, and follow her anywhere. He could never think of hurting her.

Sarabi was still mistrustful of the Outlanders who had joined Simba's pride. But Kovu didn't really hold that against her, even though his feelings were a little hurt. Scar had ripped apart her family, and beaten her down for years. It was a wonder she was still alive, actually. It made sense that she would be wary of anyone she associated with the lion who had hurt her so badly.

Kovu didn't know what the future would hold. But he hoped things would sort themselves out, and that he would come out of it all right in the end. He hoped he could secure some happiness for himself and Kiara. He hoped he could someday shrug off his shifty reputation and be the lion he had always wanted to be.

--

Nala sat and watched Kopa sleeping.

He had grown into such a fine young lion, and she was proud of him already, despite knowing so little about him. He had so much potential, so much strength, and she loved him as much now as she had the day she'd watched him walk away from her, and start his life in exile.

It had broken her heart to do it. She'd pleaded with the stars, and prayed for a way for her whole family to be safe, but back then the ramifications of Scar's rule were still apparent. Zira had just been exiled, and she had openly threatened Kopa's life. Sarabi had taken him away, rather than see him struck down out of spite.

But now he was back. Nala had to admit, she'd almost given up the hope that he might return. He'd been so young, and even with Sarabi caring for him, they'd been vulnerable. The world was unforgiving. But Kopa apparently had enough of his father (and, indeed, his grandmother) in him to survive a life of exile.

Nala now looked forward to living out the rest of her life, knowing that her family was finally complete. It was a good feeling.

At her feet, her son began to stir.

--

Kopa knew his mother was watching him, but he didn't let her know he was awake. Her joy at having him home made him feel happy, refreshed, strong.

Everyone had gotten along well enough so far, but there was still some tension in the air that Kopa hadn't missed. He knew his grandmother's attitude toward Kovu and Vitani, and the rest of the Outlanders. But Kopa actually liked them all, and the only differences he saw between them and Simba's original pride were trivial physical features.

Sarabi had told Kopa all his life that if he returned to Pride Rock, he would be the next king. They hadn't considered the possibility that there would be a new heir, a second cub. Kiara had grown up in the thick of the confrontation, and had played a crucial role in ending the feuds. She had brought the ultimate peace to the Pridelands. Kopa had done nothing half so important in his lifetime.

But he hadn't had a chance yet. He was older than Kiara, maybe he would be just as good a ruler as she would. Kopa supposed it all came down to who wanted it more.

Kiara had already found a king who was capable of ruling by her side and producing heirs. Kopa had had little contact with any lionesses, and so was a bit awkward around them. He'd already made friends with Vitani, and was comfortable in her presence. She was a neutral lioness, and it was nice to talk with someone who watched all the royal goings on from the sidelines. She'd been a princess in the Outlands, but she was just as happy to live comfortably under someone else's charge.

It was an old, outdated tradition that a male heir took the throne when he chose a mate; a female heir took the throne when she carried her first litter. Kopa didn't know if that custom would apply here. If he chose a mate before Kiara became expectant, would that automatically make him king?

Kopa had a lot of questions. Maybe it was time for some sort of meeting to iron out the details of this whole sticky situation. He would ask his parents, and they, along with Kiara and Kovu, could figure everything out.

Slowly, Kopa opened his eyes and looked up at Nala, who was watching him with a wistful expression. He smiled up at her.

"Hi, Mom."

--

Sarabi was already very fond of her granddaughter. She was beautiful and cheerful, but strong and loyal to her homeland. Those were admirable qualities in a lioness, especially one who might one day be a queen.

But Sarabi could see that Kiara was getting impatient. She must still have so many questions about the whole situation. Sarabi wanted to give her more information, and soon. It was dangerous to draw too many conclusions based on so little information.

Perhaps Rafiki was still around, and could help them all. Sarabi wanted to speak to him; he had always been very wise. But he, like Sarabi, must certainly be getting on in years. She didn't even know if he was still alive. She decided they should seek him out; or, knowing the wily old mandrill, he might already be in the area, waiting to deliver his wisdom and then disappear mysteriously, as was his habit.

Sarabi was unsure about anything, but she had faith in the Pridelands, and she trusted the stars to guide her down the right path. She knew that one star in particular would be looking out for her, and she could feel his influence in everything she did.

Now that star was telling her that there wasn't much time to lose.

--

A/N: Hey guys! I just wanted to thank everyone for R&Ring! It means so much to me. I still have plenty of story left here, and I've managed to write a few chapters and get ahead of myself, which I never do. Yay! I did this chapter differently to kind of gauge some of the other characters' thoughts and feelings. I love it when you guys ask questions about the thought process of certain characters, because sometimes I just get stuck in the head of one character (i.e. Kiara) and forget to look at things from another perspective. So this helps me a lot too. Keep an eye out for more :)


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